One year ago today I started a journey chasing after the call of God to start a bible believing church in the community of San Marco, something God had been chasing me on for five years. One year ago, I sat down with two families and three singles to cast a vision of a church that loved by serving. With a launch date five months into the future, we began to define values as we painted a picture of a preferred future.
Building a bridge, bringing a voice.
That sentence began to define who we uniquely designed to be. A few of months later we gave out bottles of water at a couple of Jacksonville Jaguar games. From our efforts, we met a family who visited a preview service, eventually became a part of East Coast Church, took ownership and began to serve with us!
We had three preview services, once a month in October, November, and December. 72 hours before our FIRST service, the venue cancelled on us. 24 hours later, David Blue, the owner of the San Marco Theatre graciously allowed us to meet there… we have been in that theatre ever since! (Unbeknownst to many, I spoke to David face to face not five months earlier about the possibility. Almost instantly, the door was shut) I am learning more and more that God likes for us to be dependant upon Him!
At our second preview service, we met a guy named BEN who walked into East Coast for the first time. After the service, we brought the voice of the gospel and he gave his life to Christ!!
Keeping the vision before us, we continued to build a bridge within Jacksonville by partnering with Chick-fil-a to hold a jacket drive for under privileged middle school students. In November our little group, with some outside help were able to collect 65 jackets! Giving them out was priceless!
In December we adopted a few families for Christmas bringing them food and gifts. After, we shared the gospel. We built a bridge and brought a voice.
Two weeks before our launch date… we still had no place to meet. The Theatre owner only granted us permission to meet for our previous preview services. GOD MADE A WAY! On January 10th, East Coast Church officially launched in that theatre. Since then East Coast has been faithfully sharing the word of God from 1996 San Marco Blvd.
Not too long after launching, East Coast supported our first foreign missionary, Marti Johnson who ministers to an orphanage in Kampala, Uganda. East Coast has partnered with Marti a couple of times in the past 6 months to collect and send supplies.
A few weeks later East Coast invited Got Your Back Movement to come and share what they are doing in the world, specifically in Haiti. Got Your Back Movement sells t-shirts, the proceeds goes to buy school uniforms for impoverished children. No uniform, no education. GYB helps make that possible. East Coast bought over $700 in t-shirt that say as we were able to build a bridge in Haiti from Jacksonville Florida.
You recall the devastating earthquake in Haiti. After that tragedy occurred we decided to give our offering that week to disaster relief. That Sunday we collected almost $1400.
A few months later, our singles community group collected over $150 in change. They had an idea how their group could build a bridge. They went to a local laundry mat on a Saturday and did people’s laundry for free. Many wondered why they offered to do such a thing. The answer: to share the love of Christ!
This summer we put legs to the vision by ministering to children in a small community. Here we were able to give 70 gift bags to under privileged children and teenagers. God also gave us an opportunity to give a full on gospel presentation!
One of the high lights of the past eight months was a beach baptism service. Here we baptized a few people including one that gave his life to Christ after being invited to attend East Coast by a co-worker.
One of the ways I am most proud of East Coast is how they reach OUT into the community that God has uniquely placed them in. Almost every week I meet people at East Coast that are there because someone at their work invited them!
I am grateful to God for allowing me to pastor East Coast Church and CANT WAIT to see what HE does with HIS church in the next four months. January 9th promises to be an exciting day of celebration for sure!
To everyone who has supported East Coast Church in any way – Thank you! YOU are the church, YOU are making the difference, I’m grateful for you.
Pastor Kevin
Dude…I love the idea of paying for peoples laundry at a laundry mat and sharing the gospel. What a brilliant idea!